Thompson Twins were a British band which emerged in the 1980s in the immediate aftermath of New Romanticism, scoring a string of hits and conquering the USA and Canada in the process. The band was named after the two bumbling detectives in Hergé's comic strip, The Adventures of Tintin.
The music group existed between April 1977 and May 1993. They were originally a new wave act who, after the founding threesome moved south from Sheffield, had so little money that they lived as squatters in London, with the personnel rising to seven members. After a lucky break, they were signed up to Arista Records, and group leader Tom Bailey (born January 18, 1956, in Halifax, Yorkshire), paid off four of the members in return for their instruments.
The remaining trio—singer and main musician Bailey; lyricist and percussionist Alannah Currie (born September 20, 1959 in Auckland, New Zealand); and multi-instrumentalist and stylings guru Joe Leeway (born November 15, 1957, in Islington, London)—broke into the UK charts at the beginning of 1983 with "Lies" and "Love On Your Side". Further singles from their third album Quick Step And Side Kick (called simply Side Kicks in the US) followed with "We Are Detective" and "Watching". Bailey's flame-red hair and bright ponytail and Currie's wasp-swatting style at the xylophone swiftly becoming endearing images of an exciting new act.
At the end of 1983, a single "Hold Me Now" was released. It defied the trends of the electronic pop which was still dominating the charts. "Hold Me Now" relied almost wholly on an emotive piano, some clever percussion from Currie, and heartfelt vocals from Bailey. It hit the Top 3 and remains one of the more timeless singles from an era and decade which tends to date a little more easily than others. Four equally as mature singles followed into 1984: the pop hit "Doctor! Doctor!"; the quirky "You Take Me Up" (at #2, their biggest UK hit); the haunting "Sister Of Mercy"; and "The Gap" with its Middle Eastern rhythms. The corresponding album, Into The Gap, was one of the bestsellers of the year. The trio had peaked.
